Free To Reap and to Sow by J. R. Roberts

air,” Clint told him.
    â€œToo stuffy in here for you?”
    â€œNo,” Clint replied while patting his stomach. “Just need to walk some of this off.”
    Wes nodded and got back to what he was doing. “If anyone asks for you, I’ll tell them where you went. I’ve known these girls for a while, so I wouldn’t hold my breath on them coming up for air just yet.”
    â€œThanks for the warning. I won’t be long, though.”
    Rolling up his sleeves, Wes gathered up the last of the dishes and sunk his hands into a tub so he could start cleaning them off. Soon, the sound of plates clanking against each other was added to the chatter that had become constant between Tina and Lynn. Clint could tell it would take some work to break through all that commotion, so he simply walked past Wes and stepped out through the kitchen door.
    Outside, the night was cold and dark. The longer he stood on the step that led down to the dirt trail joining all the buildings in the vicinity, the better Clint was able to pick out more than just shadows. As he walked toward the stable, his eyes had adjusted enough for him to spot the handle on the door.
    Before he pulled the door open, Clint stopped and turned to look toward the barn. He swore there was some movement in that area and squinted to try and pick out what had caught his attention. After a few seconds, he couldn’t spot anything worth investigating so he went into the stable.
    Eclipse was sleeping in his stall and barely stirred when Clint walked up to him. The Darley Arabian let out another deep breath and drifted back off.
    After tossing a few handfuls of oats into the stall’s feed trough and refilling the water, Clint stepped to the door and leaned against the frame so he could take a slow look around. There was plenty of movement around him, but it was difficult to pick out what was caused by the wind and what could have been something alive and kicking in the night.
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    Mark thought he’d been spotted for sure when Clint walked to the stable. His hand had gone to the gun at his side, but that only seemed to draw Clint’s attention for longer. Once he stayed still, Mark only had to hold his breath and wait for Clint to look away. He didn’t take another breath until Clint was inside the stable.
    Since he’d thought Clint was heading toward the barn at first, Mark felt as if he’d dodged a bullet. Once Clint stepped into the stable, that gave Mark the opportunity to get to a better spot before his luck ran out. Even though he’d managed to duck around a corner, he knew he wasn’t out of the woods just yet.
    Squinting toward the nearby trees, Mark had to stare for a few seconds before he spotted Joey. Since it had taken him that long to pick out Clint, he figured Joey couldn’t have been spotted by someone who didn’t already know he was there. Before Mark could feel too secure, however, he saw Joey start to wave and walk over to the barn.
    Mark started to shout for Joey to stay put, but stopped just short of making a sound. Instead, he hissed through clenched teeth and fiercely waved Joey back.
    The dumb smile on Joey’s face was plain as day. He returned Mark’s wave with another friendly one of his own and started to run faster toward the barn.
    Still trying to keep quiet, Mark leaned forward and let out a noise that was part whisper and part growl. He also waved Joey off, but it was too late to keep from being spotted. In fact, it looked as if both of them had been flushed out.
    â€œWho’s out there?” Clint asked as he took a step forward.
    Mark leaned back around the corner of the barn and focused on Clint. At least he didn’t have to wonder if Clint and Lynn had made it to the farm yet. Then again, judging by the way Clint was reaching for his gun, Mark might just have had bigger things to worry about.

SEVENTEEN
    Clint was just starting to let his guard down when he saw